Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Lovely, soft, quiet in some ways. Gritty and painful in others."Real" is an over-used word, in some ways. But it feels real -- the people are real, their trials and tribulations and problems and joys and sorrows and bad choices and triumphs.Real.

An interesting view of the pioneering/growth days of Wisconsin and the logging industry. I just never thought that lumberjacks and the lumber industry would make an interesting backdrop for a romance. Naomi carried it off.

Hmm, but the funny thing is, I DID love "Here Come the Brides." (Does that date me, or what?)(And it wasn't because of Bobby Sherman, either. I didn't even know who he was!)

I recommend this book -- and I'm not really a fan or ardent reader of historical fiction. I knew Naomi was doing a great job with her characters when I was gritting my teeth and muttering, "You dummy, don't do that!"She made me care. When I had a dozen other things to do in the day, I always made sure I read a few chapters of the book, because I wanted to know what Colette and Manason were going to do next!

Colette and her family headed into the vast, pine wilderness, leaving behind their friends and the boy she loved -- but who certainly didn't seem to realize it! He had dreams of making his fortune in the lumber business, of traveling and seeing and doing -- certainly not of settling down and being domesticated.

Years later, after some bad choices, after the mistakes and carelessness, schemes and selfishness of others got in their way ... well, you'll just have to read the book. They certainly earn their happy ending!

Friday, January 14, 2011

I'm delighted to start my semi-regular (meaning there's no predicting when they'll show up) book reviews with a superb time-travel romance by my good friend, Deb Kinnard.

Seasons in the Mist follows historian Bethany Lindstrom as she walks down a chilly hallway in the ruins of a Cornish manor, and comes out into the history she's been studying.

And she learns that all the books in the world can't prepare a modern woman for the culture shock of everyday, little things -- food, clothes, hygiene, chores -- as well as the social strata.

I admit, I have trouble with time-travel stories, just because of those pesky laws of physics -- especially the one that says something can't be two places at the same time. The molecules that make up Bethany's present body also existed somewhere else centuries ago, so ... don't use your scientific imagination too much. It can lead to disturbing images.

Anyway ... Deb covers that question admirably, and simply, and elegantly. So that the question really doesn't come up.

After all, if the One who made all matter sends you back through time, don't you think He's going to cover little problems like that?And Bethany definitely has been sent back through time for a mission, but like Dr. Sam Becket of Quantum Leap fame, she doesn't figure out what that purpose is until she steps down the hallway, back to her own time, and realizes that a few small details have ... changed.

The heartbreaking question for Bethany is if she'll be allowed to return to the time and the man she has grown to love.

Go check out the dozens of rave reviews for Mist on Amazon. You'll agree. Deb did a superb job, making her historical era real, sometimes even uncomfortable and smelly! Real enough that I writhed for Bethany, and there were times I didn't want to put the book down, because I had to know how she was going to get out of this little -- or big -- mess.

Read it. And look for other books by Deb Kinnard. No matter what era she's writing in, you'll love her characters, laugh with them, ache for them, and cheer for them.

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About Me

I'm a freelance editor handling fiction and non-fiction books and short stories as well as business articles. I am multi-published in e and small press. My dreams include winning the World Series in Cleveland, selling to Hollywood, and living off my book royalties.